Chai's Analysis

In my last post, I said I wanted to run for a political seat. Knowing that that thought is a far fetched idea, I think about it constantly. And why not? One of my childhood heros (before I realized that she may not have been the most ideal person) was Indira Gandhi. All the books I read in fourth grade indicated to me that a woman can lead a nation--even a nation that has held on to stereotypical gender roles. Or has India? India has many female politicians. Yeah, some are corrupt, but who ever said women were pure, angelic beings (unless you are like me!)

This Fall, Geena Davis took the airwaves by storm through a show called "Commander In Chief." I saw Geena on "Good Morning America" and Charlie Gibson (who I adore) asked questions that dealt with gender and politics. Like, "Do you ever see a woman as President? Why do you think it has not happened?" etc, etc. For some reason, it felt weird hearing those questions. Like the show was a fantasy.

And Joel Stein, a reporter to LA Times, writes a great op-ed on this new show.

The network has also taken out newspaper ads with political cartoons suggesting that the notion of a female president is ridiculous. In one, Davis wears a military helmet, high heels and a sash across her chest that reads "Commander in Chief." In another, a bunch of fat cats try to bribe Madame President with flowers, jewelry and a fur coat. I was surprised they didn't have one with Davis at the G-8 summit, squealing: "Can you believe it? Shoes from eight different countries!"

Imagine how offensive this all would be if the premise were: "This fall, a black man will be president."There'd be cartoons of him appointing Lil' Jon the Secretary of Crunkitude and resolving tariff issues with France by giving Jacques Chirac a blunt, teaching him to dance and getting him laid. I think I just figured out how to get a lot of money from UPN.

Gender is never thought of as highly as race. It's just women bitching, being a feminist, a liberal, a freak. Yet, when we discuss race, it is taboo. There is outrage, like William J. Bennet's comment about aborting black babies to reduce crime rates. Yeah, it was a hypothetical and he has a philosophy background, but come on! You think that is how to resolve crime in this country? I get off track.

My point is, why is it impossible to see people of my gender in power? Why are we afraid to think beyond our stupid boxes and gender roles? If other "othodox" countries can do it (i.e., Israel, India, England), then why not the leader of the "free world"? And why don't organizations that support my gender do something about this?

posted by Chai at 8:51 AM